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Latest News (14/11/2019): Broken mainsail sliders were half way up the sail.   So robbed good ones from the bottom of the sail and re-stitched the webbing straps with the good sliders. Job's a good 'un! But have to sail with first reef in. Proceeding up the Sound of Mull.

Latest News (14/11/2019): Squall off Loch Buie resulted in broken mainsail sliders. Main sail dropped. Motored to shelter in Loch Spelve. Now assessing repair feasability.

Latest News (11/11/2019): North west gale/severe gale forecast to continue til late tomorrow. I see the ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne has suspended today's services to Iona, Coll, Barra and Loch Boisdale....so we're in good company! Tangle o' the Isles remains secure in Tobermory.

Our start point will be Dunstaffnage Marina.  We will count our roundings of Mull from and to abeam of Lady Rock (lies between Lismore and the Isle of Mull). We will decide our direction of circumnavigation at the start of the Challenge, and would prefer not to change that direction. However if there are compelling reasons for doing so, then we will change direction by rounding Lady Rock. We will finish our Challenge coincident with the finish of the BBC Rickshaw Challenge at which time we will be wherever we are around Mull. We will then return to Dunstaffnage Marina.

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You can follow the progress of Tangle o' the Isles on the AIS Tracker below.

While our objective is to sail continuously day and night, we must do so safely. At all times we will be monitoring weather actuals and forecasts and tidal heights and streams, and will hove to, or seek shelter while hazardous weather persists.

All our passage making will be under sail alone.  We will only use our engine for battery charging, or for getting into and out of shelter if weather demands that we suspend the challenge.  However the length of the challenge, 9 days, means that we expect to need to make a pit stop for fresh water, and perhaps for fuel (while we can carry enough fuel for battery charging, we do allow ourselves the small luxury of a warm dry cabin. The heater runs on diesel fuel).

There is a full moon on 12th November, and the largest tides of the fortnight are on Wednesday 13th November. Anywhere round Mull, adverse tides can slow us down and around Lady Rock, it can stop us (for several hours).